


Green and Gray

by orphan_account



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-04
Updated: 2013-05-04
Packaged: 2017-12-10 09:24:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/784460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy has been spending an unhealthy amount of time with Rachel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Green and Gray

**Author's Note:**

> I got bored in English class again don't judge me.

Annabeth threw down her pencil in frustration.  Her half-finished drawing sat in front of her, the paper gray and smudged from erasing.  She glared at it.  It was supposed to be an owl, the animal of Athena, but instead it looked more like a deformed pinecone with a face.  She was an architect, not an artist!  So why was she sitting in her cabin, discouraged because she couldn’t draw?  The answer came bouncing through the door in the shape of a small, energetic Apollo girl named Laura.

“Hi, Annabeth!  I have my pegasus lesson today but Percy’s hanging out with Rachel so he told me he couldn’t teach me and I should ask you,” she said very fast, in one breath.  Annabeth struggled not to show how irritated she was.  Percy was skiving off his lessons again, just so he could hang out with precious _Rachel_ , and then sticking her with them?  Um, _no_.  

“I can take over the lesson.  Give me an hour and I’ll be ready,” she told the little girl, who turned and sprinted out of the cabin as if her life depended on it.  Annabeth was going to have a word with Percy before the lesson.  She slammed the folder of blueprints shut (making sure to smash the owl’s face), stood up, and started toward the hill where Thalia’s tree grew, surrounded by what appeared to be a pile of cables, but every demigod at camp knew it was a dragon.  She stormed past the pine tree and faced that idiot and his stupid redhead.  

“Why in the name of Zeus can’t you teach Laura’s lesson?” she yelled, barely registering his startled expression.  Rachel opened her mouth to speak.

“Okay, chill.  What are you talking about?” she asked, lying back on the grass as if she owned this hill.  The nerve!

“I’m talking about the fact that Seaweed Brain here was supposed to teach a lesson on riding pegasi, and he’s gone and stuck me with it!  Again!  That’s the third time this week, Percy Jackson!”  Percy looked genuinely frightened. _As he should_ , Annabeth thought savagely.  

“I --- I didn’t ---” he stammered lamely.  

“You’ve been sticking Annabeth with your lessons?” Rachel asked, dangerously quiet.  Percy had the courtesy to look nervous.

“Um.  Maybe?”  He said it like a question.  Rachel stood up and turned to face him, hands on hips.  Now she and Annabeth were a joined force.

“You listen, Jackson,” Annabeth hissed.  “I am done picking up your slack.  You have to choose, lessons or Rachel.”  It took all her might not to throw as many expletives at him as she could.  As Percy looked at the two of them, it scared him a bit how much alike they looked.  Both had wild, curly hair, and both were standing with their hands on their hips, weight shifted into their right leg.  But Rachel wasn’t as striking as Annabeth --- her green eyes were beautiful, sure, but they didn’t quite stop him in his tracks like Annabeth’s gray ones.  Her red hair now seemed slightly too obnoxious as opposed to the soft golden-blonde of Annabeth’s.  Gods, she was beautiful when she was mad.  He shook himself out of whatever stupor he was in.  A tenuous silence had fallen while the two waited for his answer.  

“Percy,” Rachel said warningly, drawing his name out.  

“I can’t choose, guys,” he said tiredly, flopping back onto the grass, hands over his face.  

“Well, you’re going to have to.  I have to go teach Laura how to ride a pegasus at the moment.  I’m sure she’ll just _love_ Blackjack,” Annabeth said, walking back into camp.  Maybe he’d come around once Rachel left.

 

*******************************

 

Annabeth was sitting on her bunk again, glaring at the pinecone-owl.  There were miniscule mistakes that she couldn’t overlook.  How did Rachel do it?  As she picked up her pencil to try again, someone knocked on her bedpost.  She yanked the curtain open, preparing to yell at one of her siblings --- but instead, she came face to face with a certain black-haired, green-eyed boy, the one person she didn’t want to talk to.  She sighed.

“What?” she asked, swinging her legs off the side of her bunk.  Percy shrugged.

“I wanted to apologize about earlier.  You didn’t deserve that, and --- what’s that?”  Before Annabeth could react, he’d snatched the owl drawing.  “Is this a pinecone?”

“It’s an owl,” she grumbled, sitting back on her bed.  Percy’s eyebrows almost disappeared into his hair.

“There’s something scribbled here,” he said, looking closely at the bottom of the drawing.  Annabeth made to snatch it from him, but he moved quickly out of the way.  “ _Curse you, Rachel Dare_.  Are you jealous, Wise Girl?”  Annabeth could have sworn he enjoyed this.  Of course he did, he was Percy Jackson.  

“No, I’m not jealous,” she snapped.  “And since you’re clearly going to pick up on all the tiny things that are wrong with it, maybe you should leave.”  The teasing expression left his face quickly.  He handed her the drawing and sat down on her bed, which was strictly against camp rules, but he clearly didn’t care.  

“Listen, Wise Girl.  Rachel’s great ---” Annabeth rolled her eyes, “--- but she’s not you.  You’re brilliant, and genius, and a fantastic architect.  Yes, Rachel is a good artist, but if you were an artist, you wouldn’t be the girl I’m falling for.”  Annabeth froze.  She had never, in a million years, expected those words to come from _Percy_.  Never.  He took the opportunity to kiss her cheek and then bolt.  He was out the door in a flash --- in case she didn’t reciprocate his feelings, she guessed.  

“Annabeth, you look like your head’s about to fall off,” said her half-brother, Malcom, grinning at her.  She shot him her best icy glare, which she had been told (by a certain green-eyed boy) could freeze fire in its tracks.  “Also, Chiron wants to see you.  Says the satyrs are striking, refusing to comply.  Everything’s going bad.”  The dreamy, fuzzy feeling vanished in a flash.  Annabeth stood up.

“I’m going.”

***********************************************

Chiron had called a meeting of all the senior counselors.  That meant, of course, that Percy was there, sitting by the window.  He had his legs crossed and his hand splayed on the table, as if he were trying to press through it.  He looked slightly pale.  Annabeth smiled and went to sit by him, pulling her chair as close as possible.  

“Hey.”  He looked up, startled.  

“Hi,” he said listlessly.  What had changed in ten minutes?

“Do you know what’s going on?” she asked, spreading her fingers over the finished wood next to his.  There was a stark contrast between her tanned hand and his pale one.  

“Kronos’s army has penetrated our defenses.  That’s how Chiron put it, anyway.”  Annabeth studied Percy’s face --- he looked nervous, vulnerable.  The mischievous sparkle had gone out of his eyes.

“Look at me, Seaweed Brain,” she said firmly, making him look her in the eyes.  “We’re all going to be okay.  You, and me, and Rachel.  And everyone else.  We can’t afford to get scared.”  And very quickly, she kissed his cheek, taking him by surprise.  He stared at her.  The entire room had gone silent, as though everyone had fallen asleep, but neither of them noticed.  The onlookers watched with bated breath, the only sound the crackling fire, which burned even through the summer.  Suddenly, Percy leaned forward and kissed Annabeth.  The lounge erupted into cheers and wolf-whistles (from the Stoll brothers).  

“When you’ve satiated your appetite for Percy’s face, Annabeth,” came a calm voice from the doorway.  The two broke apart, their cheeks scarlet, as the form of the centaur, Chiron, walked to the center of the room.  Occasionally, Percy and Annabeth would look at each other (earning more wolf-whistles), but for the most part, their eyes stayed on the war map on the table.  Their hands, however, were intertwined under the table.

 


End file.
